5 Ways Social Media Impacts Your Mental Health

When you scroll through social media late at night, do you ever wonder, “Is this affecting your mental health? A recent study shows that people spend 2.3 hours daily on social media. In the USA, 81% of teens and 69% of adults use social media, according to Pew Research Centre. YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok are more common in youth in 2024.

From our shopping to our education and our health issues, we are handling everything digitally. Although this technology eases our lives, it impacts our mental health.

In this blog, we will discuss how social media is affecting our mental health, especially in kids and youth.

1.Social Media Addiction

“Just one more scroll” easily leads to hours spent in a virtual world, making habitual use towards addiction. Our youth is spending a lot of their time on screen watching and playing games. This affects their activities like physical exercise, homework, and socializing with family and friends. When you ask them to stop using, they become angry and restless. This causes behavior problems, irregular sleep, and Impaired academic performance.

According to Dr. Kathryn Lorenz, MD- Prolonged use of screen technology and cocaine both have similar effects on our brain. He called this a digital drug. It releases dopamine, a chemical related to other enjoyable activities such as food and sex. This affects your nerve impulses.

2.Depression and Anxiety

Humans need face-to-face relationship interaction to be mentally healthy. This improves your mood faster and more effectively. If you prefer online interactions over in-person relationships, you’re more likely to experience mood disorders. Anxiety levels are directly correlated with the amount of time spent online. Studies by the Child Mind Institute and The National Center for Health Research show that using social media more frequently makes people more unhappy than those who are spending most of their time on activities other than screen time.

3.Social Isolation

The isolation factor is another reason social media can trigger anxiety and depression. A study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania found that people who use social media more often feel more lonely.

4.Cyberbullying

Bullying can happen to anyone on social media, but young people especially are at risk. 59% of teens have experienced online bullying, according to Pew Research Center.

They reported the following behaviors like:

• Offensive name-calling
• Physical threats
• Fake rumors
• Explicit images, both received and shared

Depression and anxiety are more likely to develop in bullied children and teens. Adults can also suffer from online bullying, and the issues they face can be similar to those experienced by young people.

5.Affects your Sleep

The world is in silence; it’s only you and your phone, surrounded by that eerie blue light. Your phone’s light disrupts your sleep signals. Your brain believes it’s still daytime, inhibiting melatonin production, a hormone important for your sleep. In addition to blue light, engaging content such as videos, memes, and discussions further delay sleep and relaxation.

Conclusion

Social media is not bad. Despite writing this, I will still use it. But its overuse can hurt your mental health. Excessive social media use can lead down a slippery slope of anxiety, depression, and decreased mental well-being. So use it smartly. By the way, how many hours a day are you spending on social media? Write in the comments below.